Pregame Huddle: Buckeyes and Hoosiers clash for the title

In this live episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, Tony Gerdeman and Kevin Noon preview the Big Ten Championship Game from Lucas Oil Stadium. They talk about the matchups and answer questions from the livestream viewers.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hello, everybody, Welcome to the Buckeye Weekly Podcast. I'm Tony
Gerdaman here more and more and more than ever with
Kevin and Kevin. How's it going. It's going well.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
We are here in frigid Indianapolis. We had a nice
walk through the cold to get in here, and we're
we're set up in the Indianapolis Colts press box and
ready to talk a little bit about the Big Ten
championship game. And if we're not, that's not what we're
talking about, then I'm in the wrong place.

Speaker 1 (00:30):
And no, no, we will. We will eventually talk about that. Yes,
we are here in Indianapolis, we are in the press
box area. So if there's a little bit of background noise,
forgive me, forgive Kevin, forgive the both of us, we
would appreciate that. Of course, we are here to talk
about whatever you guys want to talk about. So if
you throw your chat, your super chats in there super chats,
of course we'll go to the top of the line
and we will cut off our sends mid since to

(00:53):
handle whatever it is that well, within reasons, within reason,
within reason of what superchat might be. But welcome everybody here.
Kevin one versus two, first time in Big Ten championship
in game history, first time one versus two in Big
Ten since two thousand and six Ohio State Michigan, Ohio
State one that went forty two thirty nine. If people remember,

(01:18):
if this game is forty two thirty nine, who does
that benefit? Wow?

Speaker 2 (01:23):
If it's forty two thirty nine, the TV stations, the
TV networks, If that's going to be the case, I think,
you know, if Ohio State is a team that's predicated
on defense, if Ohio State gives up thirty nine or
forty two, I don't know how that looks really good
for Ohio State. I mean, I think Ohio State would

(01:45):
like to try and keep Indiana south of twenty. I mean,
obviously the goal is to keep them at zero, but
you know, I think I think, yep, thirty five twenty
is a much more comfortable pace for Ohio State than
forty two to thirty nine.

Speaker 1 (01:58):
Yeah, that would be a wake up call and it
would cause some concern as to like, is this so?
Is this what it's gonna be like when you finally
face an offense that is any good? And well, maybe
I wouldn't expect that, not expecting forty two or thirty
nine from either team in this one. But I do
think there is we talked about this in the car

(02:19):
the way over a little bit of fools gold when
it comes to Indiana's running game, where their average and
they're leading the Big Ten in rushing this year, I
think like two hundred and thirty yards over a thirty
yards per game, except when they face top twenty five defenses,
that average drops to ninety nine point seven yards per game. So, Kevin,
I'm not sure if you're aware of this Ohio State

(02:41):
top twenty five rush defense. They are a number four
in yards per game this season. I'm sure you're aware
of that. But which which Indiana rush game is the
real rush game, the one that struggles against real defenses,
or the one that run me for three hundred and
fifty yards against Purdue.

Speaker 2 (02:59):
Yeah, I mean they got they got fat in some
of those games.

Speaker 1 (03:02):
They ran for three h nine.

Speaker 2 (03:03):
In their opener against Old Dominion they ran for three thirteen,
They ran for three oh one, and then in their
uh the Illinois game, which is the one that I
had the hardest time really kind of getting my head around,
they ran.

Speaker 1 (03:14):
For three hundred plus in that game as well, but.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
Yeah, Roman Hamby is a is a talented runner, but
I don't see him being the back that breaks Ohio
States back. I think that I think we're closer to
seeing the ninety nine yard rushing offense versus the two
hundred and fifty yard rushing offense.

Speaker 1 (03:33):
Yeah. And I think what would make what could make
what will make Indiana's run game better is Banana Mendoza
on scrambles on third downs. Frankly, he will pull it
on read options and pick up seven thirteen whatever and
supplement the hard fought yards. I think I wait for
them to get some easy yards. Is Banana Mendoza. And

(03:56):
just looking at some of the comments here from DUBN Paul,
is there a victim championship games? According to ESPN only
the SEC players today? That was something I noticed on
the radio kind of they were coming live from the
SEC Championship game, so you could sort of understand that.
But there's been very little talk that I've seen. It.
Listened a little bit to game day in the car

(04:17):
this morning, and this feels like, while it's one versus too,
it would be feeling much bigger if if ESPN was
involved in any portion of this or wanted to be
involved in any portion of this.

Speaker 2 (04:31):
Well you you sit there and you get the big
check from Fox and CBS at NBC and you shut
out ESPN.

Speaker 1 (04:39):
And that's kind of what you get.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
I mean, you know, you there, This should not come
as a surprize. I think anybody in the industry told
you this was coming. Even if ESPN said, oh, no,
we're going to play it straight. No, no, they're no.
They wanted you protect the product. I was a television
sports producer for a long time in a previous lifetime.
You always protect your lead, and your lead in is

(05:01):
the SEC So that's going to be the case. So
and I think part of the problem too, is that
both of these teams not only are in barring fifty
nine to nothing, both of these teams.

Speaker 1 (05:13):
Are buy it. We're gonna get buys.

Speaker 2 (05:16):
So is this you know, you're really I mean, what
are we trying to turn the German here? Who's going
to be the one seed who's going to go to
the Rose Bowl? I mean, sure ESPN has an interest
in it being able to be the ones that are
going to be televising that, But with that being said,
there's there's not as much interest there because there's no
real drama other than who's going to win the game.

Speaker 1 (05:38):
And to me, honestly, this year's SEC championship game feels
very blah. And you know, when you've got Alabama right
number nine in there, I think you can say that
that's a lesser championship game for sure. Kind of here
from from John Eric, how long have we watched football?
It better be a bunch of turnovers. If you all

(05:58):
talk anything outside of Higo State win. I don't think
either of us have talked much outside of an Ohio
State win this game because we've watched Ohio State, we've
watched Indiana. I mean, when you watch them both, it's
it's much easier to see in Ohio State win. And
it's story if you go and just go position by position,

(06:19):
Ohio State is gonna outposition them. But it's not quarterback
versus quarterback. We're running back versus running back. It's running
back versus linebackers and defensive line. But even then, the
Indiana defensive line isn't no we're penetrating. It's it's been
very good against the run. Ohio State's getting better against
the run. I think when we're just dealing with comments

(06:43):
like US picking Ohio State or or whatever. It's like,
all signs are twenty two Ohios State. I think. I
think the line being four points is it's definitely lower
than I thought it would be.

Speaker 2 (06:57):
Yeah, I thought it would be seven. I really thought
it would be closer to seven. I understand we're talking
about the number one of the number two teams in
the nation. I understand we're talking about an Indiana team
that has drilled most of its opponents by forty to
fifty points. But that's also been a choice. Ohio State
certainly could have drilled a lot of its opponents by

(07:19):
more points if it were going to get out there
and run more offensive plays and push the ball down
the field a little bit more. Win the game by one,
win the game by one hundred and one. It doesn't
really matter because you're playing just for the victory. You're
not playing for margin of victory, you're not playing for
style points. None of that's really going to matter at
this point. But yeah, for a three and a half

(07:40):
four point line, I was four points. As we crossed
into Indiana, I was like, oh, let's take a look,
because can't get player props in Ohio. So wanted to
see kind of what some of the player props were
because it was curious and was still seeing it at
four and I was shocked. I mean, things could move
in the next hour once sharp money comes in and
I'm going to look that up while you start talking.

Speaker 1 (07:59):
But uh, you know who knows, and we will get
the injury for the availability report in about an hour.
No no reason to be concerned right now about any
of that, Brian Day said Jeremiah Smith Cornell Tate. We're
fine going into practice coming out of practice this week.
They're better than they were a week ago. So no

(08:20):
real concerns there for Brother, for the Buckeyes, and no
reason to be worried at this point that somebody's going
to pop up out of the blue. It's not like
what's going on to Alabama Georgia where they have all
of these injured players. I would expect everything to be
okay for Ohio State. When when we talked about last

(08:42):
week Matt Patricia versus Bryce Underwood being the biggest mismatch
of that game, I think France, the Matt Patricia versus
Brenana Mendoza here is a much better matchup. But so
much of what Indiana does is our based in terms
of the pass game, and so it feels like he's

(09:06):
I don't want to say a simple offense for Matt Patricia,
but Ohios Date has the kind of defense that can
handle the the RPO better. But overall, this is gonna
be the best offensive test we've seen for Ohios State
this year based on all the skill, the the production,
the aggression. How are you expecting the Uhio State defense

(09:27):
to handle all of that? But I'm like, successfully, that's
how I'm expecting to see it.

Speaker 2 (09:32):
I mean, you know, it's we've seen so much some
pressure and things of that nature, but you know, at
this point, you just have to play discipline football. And
at what point this year we've seen Ohio State's defense
get really out there and start freelancing and doing things
that I mean, it's it's been We're long ways away

(09:52):
from five to seven big plays being baked into the defense.
And I'm trying, Lord knows, I don't want this to
become a Matt Patricia versus gym Nole argument that that's
that's irrelevant at this point. But you know, I think
that something that we've seen under Matt Patricia is you
know this defense just it does what it's supposed to do.

Speaker 1 (10:11):
It does what it's supposed to do.

Speaker 2 (10:12):
Sure, you know we've seen a bust here or there,
but they're few and far between. I mean, you see
busts in the National Football League. It's not like it's
not like it's like, oh, these damn kids and their
long hair and the rock and roll music, why can't
they play defense correctly? Sometimes you just scheme things up,
but more often than not, this defense is just shutting
people down and keeping everything in front of us.

Speaker 1 (10:33):
Well, you say the defense does its job, it's because
everybody is all alive and are doing their jobs, not
trying to do more, because they trust each other. They
know they don't have to do more. Our belt Reese
doesn't have to worry about Sunny Styles, and Caleb Downalds
doesn't have to worry about Jalen McClay. Nobody has to
worry about Kate McDonald. So it's it's a lot easier
for everybody to do with their one eleven when they

(10:54):
know the guys next to them are also great to
be doing it. And so this this is gonna be fun.
Would you watch? Just because we haven't seen a higher
and state tested like this. I do like seeing this
defense pushed. I do like seeing stretched. And they're gonna
throw the ball. Indian is gonna throw the ball around.
There can try to run it around. And they're gonna
stretch the Higher State in different ways. And I'm looking
forward to see how they respond because they responded very

(11:17):
well so far this season.

Speaker 2 (11:18):
Tony wants to make things difficult. We're gonna get to
the super chat in a second. I just want to
see I want I just want both teams to have
a lot of fun.

Speaker 1 (11:25):
I just want everybody to have a lot of fun.

Speaker 2 (11:27):
And then we can get on to tomorrow and be
at the Woody. So just be sure to join us.
You know, we'll be there for We don't know what
time their press conference is. I guess the outcome of
tonight's game will determine some of that. But yeah, it's
gonna be a busy Weekend's gonna be a busy weekend.

Speaker 1 (11:42):
Stay tuned here. Hit the ball to be notified. Subscribed
to the channel right now. Hit the thumbs up though,
we would appreciate that as well. Super Chet from Murphy
Saraf You know over two hundred and thirty passing yards
for saying fast track asking for a friend certainly, and
a friend will not be placing my my friend lost Vegas.

(12:03):
I think two thirty is a pretty good number. I
think that's an easy, easy enough number to hit me.
I would I would tease that up a little bit more.
I think I woud tease up to like two fifty. Yeah, no,
I think you can. Two thirty seems like a very
easy hit. And if it's not, I feel like that's
because Ohio State's running the ball very well and they're
can complete control, which is, you know what, if you

(12:24):
lose that bet, but Ohio State wins the comfortable Big
Ten championship game, you'll probably take it. But two hundred
and thirty yards for me, I feel like that's sometime
in the third quarter basically, if things are like you're
talking about a fast track. Indiana plays a lot of
zone Owaii State Julian saying very good against the zone.
They can steam it up. We've seen them be able

(12:45):
to get deep on the zone at times, so they'll
find ways to take shots. They just have to connect
on them. And what I've seen from Indiana safety, I
mean they have nine interceptions between the two of them,
their two starting safeties. But I haven't seen the like
stand out and make plays and staying with the quarters.
But I haven't seen them go after I haven't seen

(13:06):
opponents really go after D'Angelo Ponds.

Speaker 2 (13:09):
I really like Ponds. I think Pond's a hell of
a player. I have a common friend with Murphy Serafino.
His name is Las Vegas as well, and he may
or may not have missed out on hitting a multi
lagger last week because Julian Saying came up eighteen yards
too short. So yeah, and again, if Ohio State needed

(13:29):
to press more, they absolutely would have hit that number.

Speaker 1 (13:32):
So that's what makes makes all of that.

Speaker 2 (13:35):
There's a reason why the house always wins well.

Speaker 1 (13:38):
And Ohio State ran the ball very well last week,
so they did need to throw it as much and
they had the comfortable lead. So again, you lose the bet,
but as anybody that loses that bet, really all that
upset you. Basically you bunch yourself a win, So think
of it that way. You invested in a win and
you got that. Everybody, Congratulations to all of you. I

(13:58):
want to hit this from saying when we see C. J.

Speaker 2 (14:01):
Hicks next year, next year, if yeah, I mean maybe
in a Buckeye uniform, maybe in another uniform, but he's
been red shirted, you know, I mean maybe maybe you know,
this doesn't count against red shirt, so I mean maybe
you could see him in special teams. I mean maybe,
but but you know, for people wanting to see him
as a rush end, no, that's that's you dance with

(14:23):
the ones that brought you at this point, and that's
what you kind of do.

Speaker 1 (14:26):
Yeah, and you know, they've been without Logan George for
a while, so they're a little bit fitner designed. Grady's
been getting a lot of reps. I think people just
not I'm not saying that that's what the expectation is,
but there are some people who think you can just
plug him in and have him go get the quarterback.
And even Ryan Day said, well, he's been working scout teams,
so they're gonna get him back onto the Ohio State defense.
But I don't expect him. I'm not expecting to see

(14:48):
him other than in the mop up duty. I mean,
we saw we saw guys playing that hadn't played earlier
in the season much against Tennessee and Oregon because they
were blowouts last year. So in a blowout, you'll see him.
I'm pretty confident in that. So if you do see him,
congratulations on the win.

Speaker 2 (15:05):
Right John Eric. Winning is fun? I thought we covered this. Yes,
winning is fun. You know what's fun? Kicking ass?

Speaker 1 (15:12):
That's Ryan Day said it. Winning by more is also fun.
And sometimes I say, doesn't win by enough for some people? Uh,
but I agree. A win is a win is a win,
especially today tonight, and win gets you t d Rose
Bull and I'm just looking and we have different passes,
so I don't. I don't know what that means.

Speaker 2 (15:32):
Maybe maybe I think you have field access and I
don't or something.

Speaker 1 (15:36):
Oh I did, I did?

Speaker 2 (15:37):
Uh?

Speaker 1 (15:37):
I did actually earn field access because this is a
good story. Our buddy Andy Andrews right there with the
same yellow one. So uh, the Big ten game, Jerry
Ammick like five extra credentials to be on the field
pre and post because nobody else unless your photographer, is
supposed to be out there, right, And so a few

(15:58):
of them went to like the Dispatch Cleveland dot com.
And then there was a contest basically held where Jerry
had had his pick number between one and a thousand,
and he had Stephen Meets from Cleveland Dot kind of
pick that number and partial party Andy Anders. He throws
his number up there was like six eighteen and meets

(16:19):
from the other side, what'd you say? And so then
I thought, oh boy, that's pretty close. So I'm like
I was up next to like six nineteen and I
was like six year way, so me and Andrews both
so Andy got me a eddie.

Speaker 2 (16:30):
Thank you, we're live, so please don't show up with
Andy Anders a former intern of mine. So, you know,
like glad to see my son doing, my son out
there doing well.

Speaker 1 (16:40):
Thanks to Andrews for getting me on the field and
means for having a terrible poker face. I was like,
I was like, why do you Why is your past
a different color than mine? And everything else? But that'll
keep me from being all you know, it used to
be that, used to be able to go out to
a field of five minutes left. I guess that's no more,
no more. I guess, yeah, you know that's fine. That
means I can go down there later. I've got to

(17:01):
get set up for the postgame show. I know you
all are going to join. This is gonna be late night,
burning the midnight Oil.

Speaker 2 (17:06):
But we will have a postgame show, Tom Tony, myself,
Mark Gibbler, cast of Cast of thousands. We'll have postgame
reaction interviews, everything else. I be sure to set the alert,
hit the thumbs up, hit the bell, all that good stuff.

Speaker 1 (17:19):
Yeah, and we're not running from a blizzard this week,
so we can hang around for a little while longer.
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (17:24):
Our hotel is kind of in a sketchy neighborhood. I
kind of want to get that door locked, but not
to the point. We had to get housekeeping to let
us into our room because the latch was there, and
they easily defeated the latch.

Speaker 1 (17:36):
Yeah, that was troubling. Yes, that was interesting to see
how they did that. Great. That was great. Super chat
from Mattao and play go Jeremiah Smith over under one
hundred yards receivement tonight, Kevin. Did you have any friends
in Vegas that did suggested or advice? I did not.

Speaker 2 (17:53):
I could put out a message to one right now
and look, but I didn't look specifically at that because
I'm I'm kind of afraid of that number because I
just don't know, because you don't know. Okay, he's by
all accounts, in good, good health, right now and everything else.
I mean, I'm not expecting to see him on the

(18:14):
questionable list, certainly not expecting to see him on the
out list. But you know, with that being said, what
are the plans for him? What does Indiana do? I mean,
does Indiana just say, well, we're going to just bracket
him all game. I mean, Indiana has to say in
this equation as well, Yeah, Indiana is not gonna be
able to shut everybody down if everybody is able to
go right. But you know, I think my inclamation is

(18:36):
to say under. But you know that's just you know,
I'm just a skeptic.

Speaker 1 (18:40):
Well yeah, I mean, the better odds are under, but
we're not playing gods Like. This is a tough one
for me because I always go back to what Jermaine
Matthews said when he was asked who is the more
difficult guy to cover, Jeremiah Smith or Carnell Say, And
he said it's it's Carnal because you always have safety
help with Jeremiah. And so when you're thinking about the

(19:03):
safety help with Jeremiah, like that's gonna impact his yards.
But I'm never gonna say no.

Speaker 2 (19:11):
I mean I probably have just sat there and made
it so he's gonna go for like two twenty or
something like that. But I'm gonna still say under just
because I think that they're going to be like, we're
just not gonna let this guy beat us. And of
course the problem is then does that mean you're gonna
let Carnel Tape beat you. There was another one in here.
I think I've moved past it. Somebody saying that in
US and Claire we're gonna have big games. I mean,

(19:35):
that's the thing. iiO State's got a lot of ways
to do this well.

Speaker 1 (19:39):
And in this and Claire, either one of them could
have a big game and it would be four for
thirty six. But those four are timely or touchdowns move
the change right, and so they're both gonna be very
effective in that. And it's one of the things about
in the end defense. They like to play three linebackers
as much as they can, which then if one of
those three linebackers has to be cut bridge against one

(20:00):
of those two Ohio State receivers being player or in US,
that's an advantage for Ohio State. They also like to
use those linebackers to rush the pastor because they don't
get a lot of pass rush from the front er
se so that they like to create it through their linebackers.
So there's so much of this Indiana defensive attack that
it is focused on the linebackers, which is why they

(20:22):
like to have him out there. But in terms of coverage,
I think there's an area there that Ohio State can
take advantage of. And that's not even getting into moving
Jeremiah Carnell into the slot and wrote you know, motioning
them and how how Indiana deals with that. There are
ways Ohio State has seen all of these different coverages
and it's Jeremiah Smith is still going to be a

(20:46):
Bletnicom finalist. I don't know if he's got the numbers
to win it, even though everybody, everybody has respect for him.
I think you still have to put up some numbers
and then so.

Speaker 2 (20:54):
Then yeah, exact Ms Malachi Lemon. I don't remember who
the third like finalist was, but yeah, yeah, I.

Speaker 1 (21:01):
Just when you to combine the passing games, whether Jeremiah
one hundred or Innocent Claire, every catch that Innocent Claire
make is a catch that Jeremiah doesn't. And so I
think this is going to be a well rounded passing attacks. Again,
I would still go under on Jeremiah, but never gonna
be surprised by anything he does, even when he does

(21:23):
something crazy and you're like, oh my gosh, yeah that
makes sense.

Speaker 2 (21:28):
I just to answer an earlier question for somebody. Then
we'll get to David Burke super Chat. Where's Tom. Tom
is shooting some footage for us right now. He may
make a surprise appearance in the show here in a
little bit, but we will see there. But he is
putting up great content that you can only see at
buckehead dot com, YouTube dot com, slash buckey Huddle. Be
sure to subscribe to the channel. And while you're at it,
why don't you just subscribe to buckey Huddle dot com

(21:50):
where we are right now. This would get you through
the Ohio State's first round, its first game in the quarters,
I guess potentially the rose Ball, whatever that may be.

Speaker 1 (22:00):
You know, this is time to get on board.

Speaker 2 (22:02):
You know, all the great analysis, Tom Tony myself covering
the team, Mark Gibler covering recruiting, Andrew Ellis covering the boards,
Ross Fulton and his team of experts doing x's and o's,
the most chill awesome community with the Huddle Board presented
by Jeff Ruby, Steakhouse, Columbus. All available at buckeyehuddle dot com.
I'm urging you please. We love the super chats, but

(22:22):
another great way that you can support us is by
being a member half buck Eye Huddle and Google doesn't
get his grubby mits on any of that money.

Speaker 1 (22:30):
And we will have a clip from Ross later in
the show breaking down some tax's nose in this game,
so you get an idea of what he does. And
if you don't already know, and I'm sure you do,
super chat from Dave Burke, what would be an indicator
he might see in the first quarter in Ohio State
is going to have a good night, and boy, if

(22:51):
they're able to run, for like, here's the thing. If
Julian's saying that's time to throw, I don't think I
need to have a a good night running. And if
they're able to run, and he's gonna have a great
knight throwing, so you're gonna have plenty of time to throw.
I think that's understood right. But if Ohio State is
controlling Fernando Mendoza and making him hold the ball a

(23:14):
little bit and slowing him down in terms of his
decision making that to me, like right away would be
a great sign where Indiana is prepared for this opening
quarter and they've got their script, they've got all of this,
and if none of it works, then that tells you, boy,
it's going to be a long night. Like Michigan getting

(23:35):
two short fields and or the two field goal drives
and not being able to get to punch it in.
It was like, well, that's gonna be a long day
for Michigan. Once Ohio State scored, and I kind of
feel like the same thing. Defense sets the tone and
if Indiana can't score, Indiana kids, Yeah, that's exactly where
I was going to go.

Speaker 2 (23:54):
I mean, I think my thing too is that if
you look at the scoreboard and if Indianas held a zero,
because you know, Indiana is going to be a team
that I think it's gonna if it has success, it's
going to be early in the in the in the game.
I have my tail of the tape notes here. I'm
looking for this because I don't have it memorized. Indiana. Uh,
you know, Indiana's best scoring quarter is the third quarter,
which kind of surprises me. Indiana is scoring one hundred

(24:17):
and twenty two in the first quarter, one in the second,
one to sixty in the third, just amazingly one hundred
and the fourth quarter. But if Ohio State's able to
kind of withstand Indiana's first two drives, I don't know
if I see Indiana, I mean, maybe Indiana makes some
halftime adjustments or things along those natures. But you know,
Ohio State, you know, Ohio State is really difficult. O

(24:38):
Hio State has given up twelve points in the first quarter.
Twelve points that's you know, hard to believe. If you
want to get them, you get them in the second
or the fourth. Ohio State's given up twenty nine points
in the second quarter and in the fourth quarter, and
just just a round it out twenty three in the
in the third quarter.

Speaker 1 (24:53):
Well, and I don't believe they've given up a rushing
see that. I don't think they've given up a passing
touchdown at the first half this year. Think they've only
given up two first half touchdowns this year, if I'm
remembering correctly through all of the random notes and stats
that I have in my head. So it's hard to
get to iris stay early very effectively, and then later

(25:16):
on sure like you score a touchdown and now it's
twenty one seven and it's like, well, good job. I
mean it's still you still got a long ways to go.
So I think this defense is just I'm a believer
maybe the only one, maybe the only person that is
actually believing that this defense is.

Speaker 2 (25:33):
You're you're a believer. You're a biaber or a biaber
or whatever. The Biaber fans are super chat Devin Paul Tony,
Are you Tom and Kevin going to crawl around on
the turf to get his confetti tonight?

Speaker 1 (25:43):
Lol?

Speaker 2 (25:43):
We appreciate the natty confetti. Well, I don't know, I
don't know if there's going to be enough demand for
this to go. I mean it was an undertaking. And
by undertaking, I mean it was Tom's job to get
all that stuff sent out and everything else.

Speaker 1 (25:56):
And you know, I.

Speaker 2 (25:57):
Think that I think we need to we need to
hook it some thing more into membership for this this
year around, you know, for new members and for members
who up for another year and things of that nature.

Speaker 1 (26:07):
We did work for Tom to death on that, didn't
we Yeah, but it was it was worth it. It was
worth it because it wasn't doing it right Tom. Tom's labor,
but we I mean whatever, whatever, wherever there's confetti, we
will be. But uh, the last time we're here, I
don't think they invested. They didn't even change like the
the colt's paint and zones when I was twenty twenty twenty,

(26:28):
not doing any and not doing this confetti stuff, not
doing anything, so I have. It's been so long since
we've been here. We don't even know if they do
confetti here.

Speaker 2 (26:35):
I haven't even been. I haven't even been downstairs yet.
I don't even know what I mean, what what's going on?
We can't I mean being told from out in the
gallery that we can't go, that those of us with
the normal passes can't even go anywhere.

Speaker 1 (26:50):
So I yeah, my.

Speaker 2 (26:52):
Postgame plan will be to go down later and then
go get set up for postgame, I guess because the gentlemen, yes, yeah,
have fun with that. So it's all on you. So
if you don't get it, then there you go.

Speaker 1 (27:05):
It just requires me to work more, which is like,
who's the idiot them?

Speaker 2 (27:08):
Butteo and Fuegel. How about three plus year memberships? You know,
if anybody wants to prepay for three three years memberships,
we will send Tony over to your house with the confetti.

Speaker 1 (27:17):
I still legitimately the jacket that I'm wearing. Now I
can reach into my pocket and still pull out a
little bit of confetti to the national championshipcause there's no
getting all of the confetti out right. I mean, it's
like sand and I hate sand. We all love confetti.
It really does get everywhere.

Speaker 2 (27:34):
And of course, yes, all right, all right, enough of
that Star Wars deep cut.

Speaker 1 (27:40):
For those of you who.

Speaker 2 (27:40):
Did not pick up the reference there, thank you to
Pat Murphy who is sitting with an earshot of us.

Speaker 1 (27:46):
Right, it's got a Star Wars Star Wars ears on.
Let me go through.

Speaker 2 (27:50):
I've starred some comments on here, jamo Is Shoes sixty
four ninety eight. Any idea about who'll be the OC
and the wide receiver coach?

Speaker 1 (28:00):
Well, an interesting thing that Mark Pantoni said in the
press conference on to Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday was that he
was talking to was like twelve fifteen when he was
talking and he's like, I'm sure Bryan Day at this
point has fifty voicemails from the top wide receiver coaches
all around the nation, and I'm thinking, well, I know,

(28:23):
we know Ryan Day likes the internal hires as well,
and Keenan Bailey has been around forever, has worked with
the wide receivers, Devin Jordan has been with Brian Arlan Crever.
I'm not sure what kind of recruiter he is. I
think everybody's very confident that Keenan Bailey, Yes, and he's
been involved in the recruitment of everybody that has been

(28:43):
on this high State receiving roster. And you look at
what he's done at the tight end where he's built
one of the deep prehaps the deepest tight end room
in the country. So I don't think they want to
lose him. And so with that in mind, you're gonna
have to do something with it him. But also the
other thing about Bailey, like I don't know if he's

(29:05):
ready to call plays. He's the co host he was
he was basically Ryan Days like personal assistant coach basically
for four years where it's like you just stay with
me type of thing. Progeny. Yeah, and so he's been
he's been under the learning tree, Chip Kelly, Brian Hartline,

(29:26):
Ryan Day. At some point, you know, you'll see if
he's ready still relatively done, but so is Brian Hartline.
So I see Bailey back unless unless he was Heartline
could take him. But in terms of what Bailey's role is,
I don't know yet.

Speaker 2 (29:42):
Yeah, I don't know if Brian Hartline is you know,
I know that there is a definite connection between Heartline
and Bailey. But you know, I think that when you're
a first year head coach, you probably want to bring
in some coaches assistants that have done their roles a
little bit longer. And while I have no doubt that
Kean and Bailey is going to end up being really
successful with this career, and it's probably not all going

(30:05):
to be at Ohio State, is that's just the nature
of the mercenary nature of the business.

Speaker 1 (30:08):
But you know, it'll be interesting because.

Speaker 2 (30:13):
Do you end up getting a case of where you
bring in and I mean, you could theoretically have a
non recruiting OC. I mean, you could bring in an
offensive coordinator. You have no limits to the amount of
coaches that you can have. You only have limits to
how many you can have on the road. I mean,
could you bring in I'm gonna throw a name out
there that's been thrown around to me and I'm just

(30:34):
you know, just without would bring Chip Kelly back and say, Chip,
you don't even have to go on the road.

Speaker 1 (30:38):
You don't even have to do this.

Speaker 2 (30:39):
You just can sit there and noodle plays and do
all this stuff and go for it.

Speaker 1 (30:43):
And I mean, so who knows.

Speaker 2 (30:45):
I mean, I don't think that the expectation for Keenan
Bailey at this point is that his next elevation needs
to be a play caller. But I think that his
next elevation might need to be a wide receivers coach.

Speaker 1 (30:56):
Yeah, and I wonder with Chip Kelly, who is I
don't know what his contract says in terms of his
eighteen million dollars offset. Yeah, so it's like, well, if
I'm coaching, do I lose twelve million of that? I
think no.

Speaker 2 (31:10):
I think if if if he's making six million a
year and he goes somewhere and let's just say just
keep the mattheas he gets paid two million a year,
that means that Las Vegas would have to pay him
four million a year, So they would just they would
offset it. I mean, a's generally how the offset language
for it worked.

Speaker 1 (31:25):
Like the head coaches. I wasn't sure if it was
that same way for the assistant coaches as well. I mean,
it weren't really worked last year, and there was some concern.
There was definitely concern like oh he's leaving, like now what?
And there was panic when he left. It turned out okay,
I just you know, how long would you expect him

(31:46):
to stick around for? And do you want and I'll oh,
see that doesn't recruit. You know, those are all things
like the cold time coach like that that doesn't.

Speaker 2 (31:55):
Ohio State for years and years and years and years
had an offensive line coach that didn't recruit, and that
goes back multiple names. I mean, Bowen is the first
one I can sit there and say that actually was
an active recruiter. I mean, I mean his predecessor and
his predecessor and his predecessor were all you know, I mean,
it's gonna call it what it is, recruiting challenged.

Speaker 1 (32:17):
And Ryan David said it, or maybe Pantoni said, I
think I think it's right. Day on Wednesday said that
Tyler Brown's always bringing offensive blindman in and there's just
constantly He's constantly meeting offensive blindman in the stadium or
in the in the whack and like these are all
like big dudes who look like they can play, and

(32:40):
it just sounded like that's never happened before. It's like
there would never be like the number of players that
Owen is bringing in just to recruit and to visit
a lot of work, and it's like, shouldn't shouldn't it
be the norm for every position where you're.

Speaker 2 (33:00):
Just constantly but remember going back to the trustle yeah,
regime hit I mean, and we'll get to Matteo and
Fuego's super chat here in a second. I mean, Jim
Trussell used to take great pride and we brought it.
We brought in thirty two official visits for twenty five spots,
like you know, like you know, he got like ten

(33:21):
bucks ahead for every official visit that he did not
use or utilize. I mean, if you got the recruiting budget,
use it, use it. Bring in these names and faces
and get familiar. Because here's the thing with modern recruiting too.
Just because you don't get somebody the first time around
doesn't mean we can't get them the second time around.

Speaker 1 (33:38):
Yeah, we saw that with Julian Sam sokayleb Downs. But
also you know, I mean I'm not just talking to
official visits. I'm just unofficial seriod, just bringing them in
for pizza or whatever.

Speaker 2 (33:49):
Right, I was gonna say pizza and beers, but you
know they're a little younger as cheeseburger. No no, no, no, no,
especially that for practice.

Speaker 1 (33:59):
Now for breakfast, talk on me.

Speaker 2 (34:01):
No Mateo and fag give me anyone that will both
be a recruiter and a developer of the talent they
bring in, mus be on board with I Washu's brotherhood.

Speaker 1 (34:11):
Does Mateo and Fago ask too much? That's what I mean?

Speaker 2 (34:14):
You know, why why don't you have him like walk
on water and shoot, you know, thunderbolts out his ours.

Speaker 1 (34:19):
You know. The interesting thing is he right day went
out and got Matt Patricia and there was like there's
a stick guy to it. It's like he's never pay recruits.
Can you do this? Can you do that? It turns
out yeah, he could pretty much do it all. And
so then with this next hire, which make up from
the NFL, where it's like can you do this? Can
you do that? At this point, I think Ryan da

(34:42):
has earned benefit of the doubt because he's been putting
together a good staff and and if it's not great,
I don't think he lets lets them stick around. I
think the Kerry Combs thing. That was the COVID thing
where gosh, you know, of course defense is bad. It's COVID.
We'll give it. We'll bring it back when we're here.

(35:03):
Brooms still bad? All right, Well, we'll see. We're going
to make a change here. And so he's willing to
go away from his tree all higher from outside. He's
not just a guy that is just we're only going
to do internal, or we're only going to do the
biggest name. He'll look hard and he's got connections.

Speaker 2 (35:24):
I had one over here. Okay, here it is from
RKA ninety one. Do you think the d will actually
blitz consistently tonight? I mean, are we unhappy with how
the defense has been playing that we need to sit
there and change the way things are done. I mean,
there's a mobile quarterback. I mean, do you run the

(35:44):
risk of losing contained by trying to get after him?
Or should the goal be minimize what it is that
Mendoza can do? And said, I mean, yeah, blitzes are
cool and fun and everything else. But you know we
already told you what's the most fun kicking ass?

Speaker 1 (36:01):
Well, the blitzing that I'll be interested to see is
the r bel Reese spying and then all right, enough spying,
I'm gonna I'm gonna go get the quarterback. Things like that. Now,
Mendoza has had some issues against the blitz this year,
so I think you'll see some. I don't think they
need to do it because they can cover and get
pressure with their four provided that's what they want to do.

(36:23):
I think a lot of times where there's no pressure
and people want to see some blitz that you create
it it's because they're just trying to keep the quarterback
in the pocket and let the rest of the defense
handle it. And so there'll be some. There'll be sub
blitzes he may see, like you know, Jamaine Matthews, he
likes to do some of those things. But I'm they're

(36:46):
gonna be concerned again about letting f Nanda Mendoza out
of the pocket. So just just be aware that they
may do more caging than you'd like to see. But
it's been effective. I mean, it was infective against Texas
because the only for so long and then you know
our bell Rease or sun styles you know, goes and
gets to quarterback or chases if into that cage and

(37:08):
the play is over.

Speaker 2 (37:10):
Yeah, I'm I'm I for one, am not concerned to
the point of where Ohio State has to try and
be something that it's not. That's not to say that
Ohio State you know, doesn't practice blitzing and doing things
of that nature. But I don't think that this is
the time that you get out there in freelance. I mean,
obviously if you listen to a certain four letter network
not this game is largely an exhibition game because both team,

(37:33):
as we said earlier in the show, both teams are
securely in the playoffs, probably both you know, barring fifty
nine to nothing locks to have first round buys and
everything else. But this is not the time to get
out there and try, you know, try some completely different
dance steps or or you know, break open that power
ballot that you've never performed in front of a crowd.

Speaker 1 (37:52):
It's always practice that in shower exactly. Let me ask
you this, Kevin, because this is the biggest football game
Indiana football history, right, nobody's really talking about the pressure
that that creates. Where yes, it's one versus two, which
is enough pressure. It's a pig ten championship game. Enough
pressure you're gonna have I know, fifty of the fans,

(38:14):
maybe sixty percent of the fans watching you creating the pressure.
But this is the biggest game industry of the program.
If that was if they're talking about that for High
State or anybody else there'd be wouldn't they be more
talk about can they handle that kind of pressure? This
is more pressure than a John Cougar Mellencamp concert. I mean,
it's a lot of pressure. It's a lot of it's
a lot of pressure. And you know, I think that

(38:38):
everybody like well Indiana, you know, google it.

Speaker 2 (38:42):
I mean, you know, google Signetti. He'll be able to
handle this and he'll be able to handle that. But
you know, it's not the It's not how the pressure
is gonna be on Signetty. It's gonna be how the
pressure is on Mendoza. It's gonna be how the pressure
is on is on you know, Omar Cooper Junior, How
it's on Roman him Be, how it's on you know,
uh in the Angelo Ponds.

Speaker 1 (39:01):
How is that going to happen? I mean, you sit there, you.

Speaker 2 (39:03):
Let the pressure get to you, You let the ball
go through your hands, You sit there you miss a
tackle or something like that, and then it.

Speaker 1 (39:10):
Just it just gets worse. Well, and they've been able
to overcome bad moments this year and been fine through it.
But I just think there's something to the fact that
this is the biggest game they've ever played in. And
you know you mentioned adopting the confidents of your coach.
They had that last year, and then Signetti admitted this
past week that, yeah, we've probably worked playing at Wire

(39:36):
State last year. They just mentally it was too much
for them and physically it was too much for them.
And so yeah, it's we know, Kurt Signetti is the
most confident person you're ever going to meet, and this
team adopted that. But that's all well and good until
things start to maybe don't go perfectly, and then it's

(39:57):
like you've got the weight of this entire a plan
until you get punched in the face. Well, I just
I think you have a plan until maybe you start
to buckle from all of the different kinds of pressure
that this game is. It's just one of these things
that I keep thinking about. At the three four to
three says hit the like AKA that thumbs up. We
would appreciate that. Think you the super chat on that

(40:17):
always recommend being reminded to throw the thumbs up, especially
if it's a super chat.

Speaker 2 (40:24):
Absolutely that is the best kind of So that is
the best kind of thumbs up, right there. One that
comes attached with a little bit of Bulah murfus Serafino
most more pressure too. That's an Indie probably gonna be
seventy thirty Hoosia fans. Wtf is a Hoosier.

Speaker 1 (40:39):
Well, again, it's just a person from Indiana. Now, in
terms of the etymology of it and the lord the background,
there's some question about that. But again, no shade. I mean,
we're all we're all people here. Let's let's all live
in peace. But I am interested in seeing the breakout.
I know there there have been like a ticket buying

(41:01):
h information out there in terms of like who's buying
what from what, what zip codes and things like that.
It's gonna be no way to tell until you, I
guess hear the responses from the touchdowns and the big plays,
because it's all going to be the same color in here.

Speaker 2 (41:17):
I don't but you get Scarlett on one side and
Crimson on the other side. Now, if you look at Pantone,
then the colors are going to be a little bit different.

Speaker 1 (41:25):
Now, if you get the four four zero two four
six and get the three State three six four to
two eight, they're very similar, even though they're widely vary
in number. But those pantones are very very similar. But
I don't, boy, I'd be surprised if Ohio State gets
out numbered seventy to thirty in this game. But they don't.
That doesn't, I don't. That's that wasn't seventy thirty when

(41:46):
they played TCU in the Jerry World right But but.

Speaker 2 (41:51):
But but TCU wasn't as thirsty as Indiana is right now.

Speaker 1 (41:53):
And Indiana knew they were going to this game for
a longer period of time that Ohio State did. And now,
like Ohio State season ticket holders were trying to get tickets,
they can't because the demand is far exceeded expectations. It's like, well,
I don't know how that's possible. They may exceed your
a lot, then, but the ship never have exceeded your expectations,

(42:14):
and so this is gonna be a very very expensive ticket.
I do I do wonder how many people are gonna
end up swallowing their tickets because they're they're holding out
hope somebody would buy them. Nobody's going to because I'm
not gonna pay a thousand dollars, but I've got to
go to the rose Ball Right in four weeks somebody
was post posted like early when the show had started.

Speaker 2 (42:33):
I punched it up, but we never got to comment
on it that they saw, Like the cheap that they
saw this morning was like five hundred dollars. They're like,
I'm an hour away, but I you know, yeah, you know,
it's a lot. I mean, what they're asking for fans
to do in terms of travel for all of this,
it's hard to sit there and drop five hundred, seven hundred,
one thousand dollars on a on a ticket, and you

(42:54):
know five hundred is going to get you into like
the six hundred levels to where you can sit there
in high five the ISS Astronauts from up there.

Speaker 1 (43:01):
Well right now for this game, Big that championship gave
tickets as low as six hundred and forty seven dollars,
So jump on five hundred. Now, Yeah, if you'd rather
go to the a SEC Championship game, that's gonna cost
you twenty three dollars. I also still seems like too much.
Both both of them seem like too much.

Speaker 2 (43:22):
I mean, if the acc came with a barbecue dinner
or something, then sure, like but it has to.

Speaker 1 (43:29):
Be good barbecue. Yeah, asd be like what of those
one hundred and ten dollars plates of beach, Yes, like
with beef rips and things like that, not just you know,
not just I know in North Carolina it's all about
the chopped pig. But you know, I need I need
some sides, right of course, said all the time.

Speaker 2 (43:45):
Troy when they were asking about Dana's colors being Crimson
and cream and Troy v. Crimson and Cream sounds like
a song from the eighties, not to bed with Crimson
and Clover.

Speaker 1 (43:55):
Didn't give us a little bit of that. But don't
get us not too much.

Speaker 2 (43:57):
We get demonetized and the three hundre plus people listening
will all go off because I cannot carry a tune.

Speaker 1 (44:03):
Across the screen. That's not true, No I can't. I've
heard you saying it's beautiful. T K says side of pickles. No, no,
no nickles are made. What are you talking about.

Speaker 2 (44:16):
Here's a here's a non Ohio state football question from
John Eric Ibama gets blown out.

Speaker 1 (44:20):
Well, they still make the playoffs. You know you're going
to have such a fight to boot Alabama out. Ye,
because they're in the SEC championship game. You don't want
to penalize them for losing that. They would never want
to penalize them for losing that. But at what point
does does it just become enough where Alabama three losses,

(44:45):
you lost to Florida State, you lost, you lost to
They're losing right now.

Speaker 2 (44:50):
I mean, again, it's been a defensive battle, but two
minutes left in the second quarter, Alabama has seventy one yards,
seventy one yards of offense, eighteen rushing yards, Tyn Simpson
five to twelve, throwing the ball fifty three yards and
a pick. That's a forty two percent completion percentage. I
didn't do the math myself. I have a program that
did that for me, so you can count on it
being correct.

Speaker 1 (45:11):
But yeah, I mean, if if Bama.

Speaker 2 (45:15):
Lays a you know, a thirty one to three a
or something like that, and their best win.

Speaker 1 (45:20):
This season has that Georgia, and so then if Georgia
does this and the gates the Alabama game or the
Alabama's win, I guess I'd be surprised that Alabama gets
booted because they don't want to boot They don't want
to make making a conference championship game when you're in
the Big ten of the seca the thing that will

(45:43):
penalize you. And this would definitely be a penalty, uh penalization. Yeah,
but they've also said don't lose, don't lose poorly. They
said it two years ago Big ten Meetings, Big JENJIPI
or Big ten wed. It is, don't get blown out,
don't look bad in the conference championship game. So don't
get blown out. Don't get blown out.

Speaker 2 (46:01):
And sometimes when you get into weird situations of where
you you're in your fourth tiebreaker to determine who's going there,
I mean, you know, it's a team that wasn't a
definitive you know, certainly wasn't the number one seed in
the SEC. So you're going to run into a little
bit of that. But yeah, there'll be people who are
how that ole miss gets in sitting around doing nothing
right now other than being like, how did we end

(46:23):
up with Pete Golding as our head coach?

Speaker 1 (46:25):
But you know, not playing or anything like that.

Speaker 2 (46:28):
And they get in and and Alabama, who's actually playing
gets left out. I mean that would you know, nobody's
going to be happy. They're gonna be BYU supporters are
going to be unhappy. And b YU got its kicked
up and down the field today by Texas tech boy.
That eliminated not that we could tell our hotel somehow
didn't have ABC.

Speaker 1 (46:48):
That game eliminated a lot of the concern for Alabama maybe,
which whether they're losing not because they're let out the
cyberlieve like, uh, we're going to make the playoffs. And meanwhile,
you got James Madison winning, and then if Duke wins,
you're gonna have James Madison and not not not North Texas,
but Lane too, Lane and there, and so that's gonna

(47:10):
knock out Notre Dame or Alabama.

Speaker 2 (47:13):
If Duke gwinns, right, I mean Alabama that's getting kind
of smoked right now, and Notre Dame that's just sitting
at home trying to figure out how to spell Jeremiah.

Speaker 1 (47:23):
That's right. I went there. I went there.

Speaker 2 (47:27):
Apparently justice Justin Hill made a nice tackle former you know,
Ohio prep star who ended up leaving and going to Alabama.
I think that everybody's hopeful that if Alabama falls apart
to maybe bring him back home, you know, maybe maybe
they'll use the jack at some point.

Speaker 1 (47:41):
Well, you know that the Alabama pipeline has been pretty
good for Ohio State. You know, you send a player
to a juco for a year or two and then
you can bring so it's a it's prop forty eight,
you know. Yeah, I'm looking at the lines, lines having
significantly moved still four and a half right now. You

(48:01):
can get it at four and a half on MGM,
fan Duel and Fanatics DraftKings at three.

Speaker 2 (48:08):
Six, five, and Caesar's have it at four. And that's
according to covers dot com. So I cannot speak for
the how up to date these times are, but it
says it was updated as of the last minute.

Speaker 1 (48:19):
Yeah, down on the corner. Earlier, I talked to a
guy and I was like, what what can I get
in for? And then he wrote it in his notebook
and so, but I probably should be saying that.

Speaker 2 (48:31):
I thought you were I thought you were going in
for something else about like what you were talking to
like a scalper about what he was charging for tickets,
So you can you'd confuse me. That was always one
of my favorite stories to do. Before things really got
widespread with you know, with with seat geek and sites
like that, you had to actually talk to a scalper
and it's like, look, I'm you're not competing against anybody.

(48:53):
I just want to know what what what are you asking?
You know, what are you asking?

Speaker 1 (48:57):
You know?

Speaker 2 (48:57):
Maybe that's not what you get right there, but uh,
Georgia has the ball across midfield forty six seconds left.

Speaker 1 (49:05):
I can kind of see the.

Speaker 2 (49:06):
Game from from the corner of my eye, but I've
got I've got a stat monitor up to ye all right,
Chad w says Alabama is out.

Speaker 1 (49:18):
You know, we'll see, We'll see, we will see a
bunch of this one up here from Rix. I'm watching
you guys instead of Tim Bay. I can't think of
a bigger expression of my love and giving up my
pre game dose by I'm gonna let him know that. Yeah,
I don't know if he'll be upset about that. I will.
I'll give him you're at and let him know that

(49:39):
you're doing that. But we do appreciate that any eyeballs.

Speaker 2 (49:43):
That Eli Rix, that would be something that would really
finally he's on board. Now he's on board. Let me
see what else we got here. We got another one
from Mercy Serafino, who's been very active on our chat.
So you want to get your questions and first of all,
super chants get you to the top of the line. The
second hal you know, we're just we're just sitting here

(50:04):
spending time talking to a so just have fun with us.
Just got the feeling bucket. Fans care about this game,
but not as much. Too expensive, and we have playoff
games to go to. Indiana has playoff games to go
to too, but they have not had to do it.

Speaker 1 (50:16):
Year in and year out.

Speaker 2 (50:18):
And I'm gonna I'm gonna say the quiet part out loud.
They haven't really had anywhere to go with basketball either.

Speaker 1 (50:25):
That's why they were playing here today. But it is
an interesting thing where this is the cheapest post game
for Io State fans, even though we're just talking about
six hundred bucks to get in, and it's.

Speaker 2 (50:38):
Going to be the no flights generally no flights more
or less. I mean hotels are outrageous. Yes, I mean
we're at We're at the Notel motel and I mean
all in was one hundred and forty bucks.

Speaker 1 (50:50):
And it's it's I mean it's sketch the nights and
it's perfectly fine. You get a free breakfast, they give
you they slice of bread under the door. It's perfectly fine.
But to go from here then to the Rose Bowl
and then you you've got to decide which am I
going to go to? Which am I going to? Or
it may not be the Rose Bull, it may be

(51:11):
the Cotton Ball or whatever, but you've got to decide when.
Or you know, I'm gonna I'm gonna let it ride
one more and I'll save it for the Peach Bowl.
I'm gonna save it for Miami. You've got to be
these things were never meant for everybody to go to
every game, you know. It's just a fortunate few. Yeah right,
it's okay for everybody to get to experience these games,

(51:33):
but uh yeah, you gotta you gotta decide which one
you're gonna go to. Fortunately, like this, this is the
easiest for most to High state fans to get to.
But again, well, I could spend one thousand dollars on this,
or fifteen hundred on this, or put a pretty good
debt in the Rose Ball trip, right, And.

Speaker 2 (51:54):
I'm gonna be honest. I love Indianapolis. I love, you know,
they do such a great job putting on games and
everything else. But you sit there and it's like Pasadena Indianapolis.
If if I can only choose one, right, I know
where I'm going. Rix is telling us he's not related
to Eli Rix to his knowledge. It's his loss that
he's not related to me. So there you go and

(52:17):
saye Ohio says, who's Eli Rix. I'll tell the story
over a Buckey huddle at some point. I mean, he
major recruiting target that Ohio State couldn't even get the
second time around.

Speaker 1 (52:31):
Uh, yeah, there you go.

Speaker 2 (52:34):
Make sure that this is a fresh one one that
from more Pug go ahead.

Speaker 1 (52:38):
Yeah, for more Pug. I think right Day hinted at
his plan after the Michigan game when he mentioned how
different the game would be if there were indoors, and
he had a sly smile when he mentioned that. And
I do think there's a difference between Michigan's secondary and
Indiana secondary. I frankly back seventh, the entire back seven
is better for in the end of the Michigan and

(53:01):
watching Michigan all year long, it's it was just easy
to see how vulnerable they were too high states passing attack,
which is one of the reasons why you said it's
on fast track. But I also think there's a ton
of confidence in this offense from this offense has fun
places like this where everything is gonna be controlled, where
they don't worry about footing, don't have to worry about
when they do have to worry about anything, and they

(53:22):
can just let it go. And this is gonna be
one of the few opportunities where they can do that.
And frankly, they may have to early on.

Speaker 2 (53:31):
You know, I think that, you know, you can't get
yourself into the significant deficit. So especially if Indiana comes
out and has some early success in this game, you've
got to sit there and say, all right, we've got
to We've got to keep up there because momentum means something.
And if this place is sixty five thirty five, seventy
thirty or whatever, I mean, you're I mean, we talked

(53:53):
about the pressure fifteen twenty minutes ago, the pressure will
become very real. So I think you need to sit
there and go for it. But you know, with with that,
with that being said, I mean, I don't think we're
gonna see Ohio State just come out right out of
the gate and just you know, start running nines. So
give the people your score prediction. I have Ohio State

(54:16):
winning thirty five to twenty four. I said, experience matters.
This is, you know, a very talented roster that they're
going against. But you know, let's be honest, one to
twenty two not really the same thing. One to eighty
five not really the same thing. But with that being said,
I think there is a lot of talent equated parts
to it. So I'm gonna go to experience. Ohio State

(54:37):
went through a four game run last year with everything
on the line. This is the biggest game in Indiana
football history, bar none. They haven't won a conference title
since nineteen sixty seven, which is even older than me.
They're gonna feel a lot of pressure they get up
a little bit, or are they gonna Are they going
to Toronto Blue Jays it? If they get down a
little bit, are they going to Toronto Blue Jays it?

(54:58):
Basically the hell with the Toronto Blue Jays, Go Dodgers.
But yeah, I think that they're gonna I think they're
gonna feel the pressure.

Speaker 1 (55:05):
So yeah, I went thirty one to twenty Ohio state.
I just don't know if there's gonna be enough possessions
in this game to score more than that. I think
if you give them more possessions, given either team more
possession of higher states, level more likely to score a
higher percentage of their possessions. I feel like twenty might

(55:27):
be high, but I also know that this is gonna
be the best offensive. Hio stated his face. So I
want thirty one twenty. I think time went something like
twenty seven to seventeen, which I think what I went
last week. But uh so I think we could go ahead.
And I don't know if you want to queue up
to the brass. Are we done with? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (55:45):
Well, let me let me let me just let me
just do this here. Somebody was saying that the sound
is poor Stephen Leonor's. Is anybody else struggling with the sound.
I just want to make sure, you know, just just
so we know how our setup works. Were always trying
to improve our setup where we're doing something. You know,
we're shooting off a phone instead of a camera in here,

(56:05):
and we're both right, Jason Warner says, sounds good on
his phone. I just want to make sure that this
isn't widespread. I mean, we want to make sure. Uh
we have Tim Smith saying it's not having any problems Sage,
all right, I don't know what to say on there.
I'm I'm apologizing that you're having a sound issue. Maybe
try us on a different browser. But now we can
get to Now we can get to Ross.

Speaker 1 (56:26):
Yeah, and before Ross, I'll say, uh, we're gonna we're
gonna leave with Ross. We've gone an hour.

Speaker 2 (56:33):
Yeah, so they're gonna, they're gonna, they're gonna be They're
gonna bring the food out here in a minute. It's
gonna get's gonna get ugly.

Speaker 1 (56:38):
Yeah. So we'll go ahead and don't go watch Ross.
He's got some exces of nose for you, very make
you more informed as always. But we do want to
thank you all for tuning in and the super chats.
And with all of that said, we will be back
after the game. As you know, immediately after game, Mark
will be there and have live coverage until the Cows
come home and there are until they until they kick
us out, until they kick us out. So that said,

(56:59):
Ross take it.

Speaker 3 (57:04):
Here are some key things that I'm looking for on
each side of the football today in the Ohio State
Indiana game. Starting with the Indiana defense, I think the
biggest issue for Ohio State is handling all the stunts
and loops and games that Indiana will use up front.
They're an undersized defense. They know they can't just play
straight up against Ohio State up front and said the

(57:27):
defense is predicated on movement. Obviously, Ohio State has had
some issues with that this season. I think that's approved
in recent weeks. They didn't have to face a.

Speaker 4 (57:36):
Lot of that from Michigan, however, and I.

Speaker 3 (57:39):
Think the question is, you know, picking up loopers, whether
that's in the run game, you know, in combinations when
they when High State's running counter figuring out who needs
to be blocked, or in the zone game, or in
pass protection picking up guys looping around coming off the
first level defender.

Speaker 4 (57:57):
That's going to be a critical fire of State to
that end.

Speaker 3 (58:01):
I as I said earlier this week, I think it's
critical for Iowa State to throw the football early on
early downs or standard downs. Indiana is a overwhelmingly zoned
coverage team, and I think on first downs, if last
year's any indication, they're going to want to play more

(58:22):
single high coverage to try to limit the O High
State run game, try to get a High State vine schedule.
If Indiana's in a lot of cover three, I would
look for Ohio States to take advantage of that.

Speaker 4 (58:33):
With the early down RPOs.

Speaker 3 (58:36):
Some of those like free access hitch routes that you
know Ohigh State hit against Michigan to Cardinal Tate last week,
glance routes to Jeremiah Smith and Cardinal Tate in the lake.
I think Ohigo State should be looking to throw early,
try to, as I said, take advantage of more base
looks in the secondary from Indiana. I think on passing downs,

(58:59):
Indiana's and Brian Haynes are going to throw a lot
at Julian Sand In terms in the Ohio State blocking scheme,
in terms of simulated pressures, you know too high four
underlooks things of that nature. Trapped two and so I
think number one, I would look for O High State
in the past game to use a lot of six

(59:20):
and seven full man slide protections and let Colonel Tate,
Ermi Smith and Max Clair win.

Speaker 4 (59:27):
But number two, I think.

Speaker 3 (59:28):
You just want to try to avoid those situations as
much as possible. And I think the best way for
High State to do that, as I said, is to
throw an early downs. One last thing in terms of
the Indiana defense versus High State offense, Indiana prefers to
play with three linebackers and their base four three look.
So it will be interesting to see how much does

(59:49):
Ohio State play twelve personnel. I expected some, but I
wouldn't be surprised if we see more eleven with Brandon
Innis on the field than Ohio States shown at other
times a season. And even when they're in twelve personnel,
spreading out Claire in particular, trying to take advantage, you know,
force those Indiana linebackers out of the box into playing space.

(01:00:10):
I think that Ohio State will have opportunities with Claire
in the middle of the field as well as bo
Jackson in the passing game. But you know, generally speaking,
as I said, if I was a High State, I'd
be looking to come out throwing, similar to the Michigan
game plan.

Speaker 4 (01:00:24):
You know, throw early, try to establish a lead, and
then turn back to the running game.

Speaker 3 (01:00:29):
Defensively, Again, as I said earlier this week, to me,
like defending Indiana starts with defending RPOs. There's just such
a heavy run pass option team personally, I think that
what makes Indiana explosive and a threat is when they
can throw those second and third level RPOs as a
glance routes that can turn into explosives. And so if

(01:00:50):
I'm a high state, I'm playing them with a light box.
I think you mix cover one because Cover one in
theory at least takes away RPOs because everyone's got a
man and so there's no one in conflict, right. So
but then again, a cover one you obviously have to
defend everyone. And I'm sure you know for his goods
and his been and his versatility that to allow Caleb

(01:01:13):
Downs to play in the box, like one plus matchup
for Indiana is probably Omar Cooper in the slot against
Lorenzo Styles in man coverage, So I don't expect man
all the time. I think o'hisall mix it in. I
think they'll also play some quarters cover four concepts, play
the RPOs top down, because again, you didn't have the

(01:01:34):
numbers in your favor, right, so you're like three over two,
four over three, and you just.

Speaker 4 (01:01:39):
Want to mix it up, you know.

Speaker 3 (01:01:40):
The other thing I would use is some of the
three high Tampa with Caleb Downs.

Speaker 4 (01:01:45):
Is that middle Aztec pole runner position.

Speaker 3 (01:01:48):
High State has success doing that last year against Indiana,
and again it's just messing with the RPO read right
because the inside receiver may not be covered up, but
you have downs there to sort of take away those
glance routes.

Speaker 4 (01:01:59):
He can hold his water and.

Speaker 3 (01:02:01):
Then once Indiana hands off the football and declares, he
can add himself as an additional hat in the box.
But Ohio State, you know, I think the advantage in
this game is Ohio State's defensive line against the Indiana
offensive line. Indiana, you know, they have technically sound on
the offensive line. Particularly they look to get you know,

(01:02:22):
double teams, but they don't get a lot of movement
on those level teams, and so they want to basically
you know, stalemate and then get to the second level.
And so if I'm Ohigo State Indiana as a heavy
zone team, I'd play a lot of penny the five
to one front, even if you're spread out of the box.

Speaker 4 (01:02:39):
Just count on those one on one matchups, you know.

Speaker 3 (01:02:42):
For Kate McDonald Kenyanna Jackson, and they like to win
in single blocks. As I said, I'd force the handoffs
and count on my defensive line to handle the run game.
The last thing is is you know, be interesting to
see how much Ohio.

Speaker 4 (01:02:58):
State pressures Indiana.

Speaker 3 (01:03:01):
I think other opponents this year have brought quite a
bit of pressure at that Indian offensive line. And Fromando
Fernando Mendoza, Mendoza has been susceptible to make mistakes against pressure,
and Indiana has it not held up at all the
time against blitz schemes. And so again, like from Ohigh

(01:03:23):
State's perspective, you want to take away the r p
O S force on a run, get Indiana behind the schedule,
and then I think you want to use you know,
you don't have to bring cover zero blitzes, but I
do think, you know, simulated pressures.

Speaker 4 (01:03:39):
You want to you know, give four and them use.

Speaker 3 (01:03:41):
Zone blitzes like I would see, you know, similar to
the Rutgers game plan from Matt Patricia. I look for
like a lot of too high concepts, you know, cover
two looks, some of those like inside outside brackets to
the field cover to trap pressures where you're bringing five
and you're running too deep four under things that just

(01:04:02):
are giving Mendoes a different picture, you know, And I
think so you know the other way that they could
do that on early downs is you know you're in
your five to one, you are moving the defense, slanting
you know, to or from the half back, and then
that in the five to one the opposite defensive end
is dropping out like we see so much.

Speaker 1 (01:04:24):
You know.

Speaker 3 (01:04:24):
The final thing I will say is you do have
to account for Mendos as a runner it particularly as
a scramble threat. And so I would look again for
a lot of sort of contained pressures or using arval
Reese's spy. Maybe not every down, but I do think
we will see some of that. You know, I think
you want to force him. You know, he's very effective

(01:04:46):
with his legs as well as making plays outside of
structure down the field. And you know, I think so
again for a state to me, you want to change
up the picture. You know, Indiana is so effective with
those vertical back shoulder three where you know, wide receiver
at ten yards. If he can't beat the defensive back,
he's going to come back. Obviously, High State's corners are

(01:05:07):
big and have length, but can get handsy, and so
I'm sure Indiana will be looking for pass interference calls.
So you just want to change it up so that
you know Indiana can't always count on you're going to
get a vertical release, you know, similar to what Michigan did,
Ohio State on this sane interception, like you look like
cover one where you think you're going to have one
on one on the outside, but then you roll to

(01:05:28):
cover too, and now the corner can play trail technique
to take away that throw.

Speaker 4 (01:05:31):
You have a safety over the top. So again, I
think it's just critical to change the picture. You know.

Speaker 3 (01:05:37):
There's certainly been games this year where I think that
Matt Patricia has held back on, you know, the number
of concepts they use.

Speaker 4 (01:05:45):
But again I would look to the Rutgers game as
sort of.

Speaker 3 (01:05:48):
An example of what I think we're going to see
from Ohio State in terms of just giving a variety
of two high looks, you know, taking away the flat
and just you know, changing the picture up I think
that the you.

Speaker 4 (01:06:01):
Know, again, as you probably tell, I think the key
for High State is upfront.

Speaker 3 (01:06:05):
I think High State should have an advantage on both
the offensive and defensive lines and in space, and so
I think you're playing on a fast track indoors. I
think you want to take advantage of that and sort
of put your first playoff lit forward